Timeline
's map of the timeline and the Anomalies in it.]]The timeline in the Primeverse has been affected by the Anomalies and has been altered several times, primarily by interference in the Past or Present via the Anomalies which has altered the Present or the Future. History Precambrian Supereon Earth was first formed 4.6 billion years ago at the start of the Precambrian supereon. Connor Temple theorised that all life on Earth was descended from life that came across space. (Episode 1.1) At this time, Earth was mostly underwater and the atmosphere was a poisonous sulphuric mist, high in carbon dioxide and sulphur. Worms thrived in the Precambrian and grew to large sizes. (Episode 2.2) The Precambrian ended 542 million years ago with the start of the Cambrian period. Silurian Period The Silurian extended from 443.7 to 416 million years ago. At this time, the atmosphere was high in carbon dioxide but had low levels of oxygen, and the land was largely desert. Life was mainly underwater, although some plant life was evolving on land near water, and some large invertebrates had taken to land. Devonian Period The Devonian extended from 416 to 359.2 million years ago. During this time, giant predatory fish ruled the oceans. Carboniferous Period The Carboniferous extended from 359.2 to 299 million years ago. During this time, much of Earth's land was swamp and rainforest and amphibians and giant insects were common. Reptiles also evolved in the Carboniferous. Permian Period The Permian extended from 299 to 251 million years ago. During this time, reptiles, most of which were synapsids, ruled the land and the weather was extreme (very cold winters and extremely hot summers). Triassic Period The Triassic extended from 251 to 199.6 million years ago. Both the start and end of this time period were marked by major extinction events. Jurassic Period The Jurassic extended from 251 to 145.4 million years ago. During this time, the land was dominated by dinosaurs and marine reptiles inhabited the sea. Cretaceous Period The Cretaceous extended from 145.5 to 65.5 million years ago, and marked the end of the dinosaurs. During this time, reptiles were the dominant group, and dinosaurs ruled the land while other creatures inhabited the seas and the skies. At the end of the Cretaceous, a meteor impact triggered the K-T Mass Extinction which wiped out much animal and plant life including the dinosaurs. Paleocene Epoch The Paleocene immediately followed the K-T Mass Extinction and extended from 65.5 to 56 million years ago. Eocene Epoch The Eocene extended from 56 to 34 million years ago. It started with the evolution of the first modern mammals and ended with a major extinction event. Oligocene Epoch The Oligocene extended from 33.9 to 23.03 million years ago. During this time, modern mammalian life was sparse. Miocene Epoch The Miocene extended from 23.03 to 5.33 million years ago, and during this time plant and animal life was relatively modern. Pliocene Epoch The Pliocene extended from 5.33 to 1.8 million years ago. During this time, climates became more seasonal and Australopithecus, early Hominids, evolved. Pleistocene Epoch The Pleistocene extended from 1.806 to 0.126 million years ago. During this time, there were numerous severe Ice Ages and Humans and neanderthals evolved from hominids. Holocene Epoch The Holocene started 11.55 thousand years ago and is the present epoch. During this time, Humanity rapidly advanced into the most intelligent lifeforms on Earth and became the dominant species. Several other species such as the Dodos also became extinct as a result of their activities, (Episode 2.4) and Humanity used other creatures such as dogs and cattle for their own needs. Some of Humanity's mythology was also influenced by creatures which crossed through Anomalies into human history from their own time periods. (Shadow of the Jaguar, Episode 3.1, Sisiutl (New World Episode 1.2)) Original Timeline Throughout the early 21st Century, small teams of Humans began to discover the Anomalies; as a result, Anomaly-investigating teams and organisations were formed to combat the Anomalies and the threat they posed. These included an Anomaly-investigating branch of the Home Office in Great Britain, led by Nick Cutter's team, and Cross Photonics' Special Projects Group in North America led by Evan Cross. This timeline was negated after the Home Office team unknowingly left two baby Future Predators in the Permian period during a mission there. New Timeline This timeline was created when the Home Office team of the original timeline unknowingly left two baby Future Predators in the Permian period. The new timeline was virtually identical to the original, except the Anomaly Research Centre was formed to replace the Anomaly-investigating Home Office branch at some point after the Anomalies were discovered, and Home Office official Claudia Brown was replaced with PR guru Jenny Lewis. Future The Future has been changed and altered an uncertain number of times by interference in the Past and Present via the Anomalies. Little is known about the current Future, but the second Matt Anderson's appearance would suggest it to be bleak, (Episode 5.6) and Colonel Henderson Hall implied that it was very unpleasant due to damage to Earth's environment caused by Humanity, and/or misuse of Cross Photonics' Anomaly technology. (The Inquisition (New World Episode 1.11)) Alternate Futures *The ARC and Helen Cutter at one point discovered a Future in which the ARC and/or Christine Johnson at some point apparently created Future Predators which turned on and wiped out Humanity. (Episode 3.1, 3.3, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10) *Matt and Gideon Anderson came from an alternate Future in which New Dawn reduced the surface of the Earth to a barren, hostile wasteland in 2011. The timeline this Future existed in was apparently negated by Matt's actions in the Present. (Episode 4.7, Series 5) *There was an alternate timeline in which Mac Rendell joined the British Army, and became a soldier for the ARC in the near Future. Evan Cross negated this Future by recruiting Mac's 19-year-old self as a Cross Photonics employee. (Truth (New World Episode 1.8)) Nature In the Artifact's holographic Anomaly map, it was believed by Connor Temple and Sarah Page that the line in the hologram represented the time continuum, and the points where the line crossed itself represented the points where two time periods were linked by an Anomaly. (Episode 3.6, 3.10) Altering the Timeline It is known that interference in the Past can alter the timeline in unspecified ways in a sort of butterfly effect. It appears that anyone that the change erases will sometimes suffer some warnings shortly before the change occurs; for example, Claudia Brown, shortly before she was erased from time, at one point saw her reflection as an Anomaly. (Episode 1.6, 2.1) It is also apparent that anyone or anything that is in the Past when a change in the timeline occurs will be unaffected by the change. Nick and Helen Cutter both remembered the original timeline after it was changed while they were in the Permian; (Episode 1.6 onwards) the Anomaly Opening Device that Helen left in the Cretaceous still existed after New Dawn negated the Future it came from; (Episode 4.1) Patrick Quinn still spent years in the home of the Camouflage Beasts after the Future that time period existed in was negated by New Dawn; (Episode 4.7) Matt Anderson still existed in the Present after his actions apparently negated the Future he came from; (Episode 5.6) and the alternate Future version of Mac Rendell still existed in the Present after Evan Cross stopped Mac's present day self from joining the ARC like Mac had done in the alternate Mac's timeline. (Truth (New World Episode 1.8), Breakthrough (New World Episode 1.9)) Although a creature, person or object in the Past (and the consequences of their presence there) will initially still exist in the prime timeline even if the Future they come from is erased, it is apparent that if after the said being's timeline is erased one crosses from the Future to the time in the Past when the object or being crossed to there, it will be an alternate version of that time period in which the being/object from the now-negated Future did not cross as their timeline has been negated, and this new version of events in the time period will presumably replace the original version. (The Sound of Thunder: Part 2 (New World Episode 1.13)) Changes in the Timeline *When Nick and Helen Cutter unknowingly left two baby Future Predators in the Permian on a mission there, a new timeline was created (most likely due to the Predators' presence in the Past). It was virtually identical to the original timeline, except Claudia Brown was replaced with Jenny Lewis, Oliver Leek took Claudia's place in the Anomaly operation, and the Anomaly branch of the Home Office at some point before the Permian mission moved to the Anomaly Research Centre. *The ARC and Helen Cutter at one point discovered a Future in which the ARC had created Future Predators which had turned on Humanity and hunted them to extinction, (Series 3) and following Helen's death an alternate Future in which New Dawn had reduced the Earth to a sterile, barren wasteland was discovered. (Episode 4.7, Series 5) *Originally, the Spring-Heeled Jack Raptor remained in the Victorian age and caused a total of at least twelve deaths, and Emily Merchant was successfully committed by Henry to Bedlam Asylum in 1868. When Matt Anderson travelled to 1868 London, he managed to save Emily from being incarcerated, and take her and the Raptor back to the Present with him. *After he came to the Present, Matt Anderson stopped New Dawn from destroying the Earth, apparently changing the Future and negating the timeline in which New Dawn destroyed the planet. (Episode 5.6) *In the initial timeline, Mac Rendell joined the British Army and became a soldier for the ARC. After meeting Mac's future self, Evan Cross changed Mac's history by recruiting Mac's 19-year-old self as a Cross Photonics employee. (Truth (New World Episode 1.8)) The Mac of the new timeline created by this subsequently took the initial timeline's Mac's place in 2006. (The Sound of Thunder: Part 2 (New World Episode 1.13)) *After Evan Cross killed the Albertosaurus responsible for Mac Rendell and Brooke Cross' deaths, when the Anomalies in a Cretaceous Spaghetti Junction then all began to close, it was believed that this was because something in the timeline had changed. (The Sound of Thunder: Part 2 (New World Episode 1.13)) Category:Time periods